The sage chicken at Gatsby's on Fourth in Louisville, KY. Dec. 10, 2013 / Frankie Steele/Special to The Courier-Journal

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By all accounts, F. Scott Fitzgerald wasn’t much of a soldier. One of his colleagues described him as “unusually dispensable.” And someday a clever screenwriter will realize that Fitzgerald’s real military misadventures would make a better screenplay than some of his novels.

Biographers report that his career was, at best, colorful. He once fell off a horse while on parade. He inadvertently ordered his mortar company to fire on another unit. When caught in a compromising position, he tried to bribe a hotel detective with a dollar bill — folded to look like a hundred. After leaving his post and losing quite a bit of valuable material, he claimed that he’d commandeered a train to Washington, D.C., because had an urgent message for President Wilson.

But at least the Army assigned Fitzgerald to a monthlong posting at Camp Zachary Taylor. And a few years later he used a couple of Louisville locations — including the Seelbach Hotel (fictionalized as the Muhlbach Hotel) — for scenes in “The Great Gatsby.”

In his book “The Seelbach: A Centennial Salute to Louisville’s Grand Hotel” (Butler Books), historian Larry Johnson reports stories that on more than one occasion Fitzgerald’s bourbon-laced evening resulted in his getting expelled forcefully from the hotel.

These days, though, the Seelbach celebrates the connection. And its newest eatery, Gatsby’s on Fourth (which recently replaced the Otto’s venue), has a posh, cool look that, if not as extravagant as a Gilded Age ballroom, still seems exactly the sort of upscale cafe where Daisy Buchanan and company might drop in for a classic club sandwich, stacked three layers high and filled with turkey, ham, Swiss cheese, a piquant burst of cranberry and mayonnaise ($12) or a salad built of Kentucky Limestone Bibb lettuce with salmon rillettes and a lemon shallot vinaigrette ($12).

The dining room is a bright place defined by white columns and dark tables, photos of historic Louisville scenes and a wide-screen TV or two.

Service is perhaps more enthusiastic than polished, but manager Marty Hayse’s team is quick and efficient. And Fitzgerald would be glad to know that although the beverage program at Gatsby’s focuses on wines and beers appropriate to the menu (with house wines starting as low as $7 a glass), a person who wants a Seelbach Cocktail (bourbon, bitters, triple sec, champagne) can certainly have one — or anything else the hotel bar or wine cellar can provide.

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Foodwise, executive chef Matt Durham has a commendable focus on local and regional ingredients. And though Gatsby’s isn’t the Oak Room, Durham’s menu has a bold spirit that caters to contemporary tastes.

He’ll start you off with spicy fried green beans that are exactly as described: spicy. Presented vertically in a silver bowl, the beans are lightly covered in a tender golden batter that will sear your tongue. They’d be fine without embellishment — but the accompanying bowl of bacon-caramelized onion aioli is a delectable touch.

Other starters include chicken quesadillas made with Kenny’s cheddar ($13), a braised brisket taco served with jalapeno fries ($9) and comforting three-meat burgoo ($6) that has all the pepper you could want and a rich, meaty broth.

The list of entrees includes baked salmon with collard greens and bourbon cane syrup ($19), seared skirt steak with caramelized shallots and celery root puree ($23) and one of the simplest, most delightful chicken dishes I’ve tasted in a long time: roasted free-range chicken rubbed with sage, served over a bed of Swiss chard and surrounded by a drizzle of chicken jus that captured the pure essence of the bird ($19).

If your taste runs to burgers, there’s a half-pound Gatsby Burger served on a brioche bun ($11), but the spirit of the place is better captured by the ABLT — avocado, bacon, limestone Bibb lettuce, tomato and garlic on potato bread.

Or maybe the spirit of the place is best exemplified by the breakfast buffet ($19.75), which features thick-cut smoked salmon, house-made muffins with a firm, grainy texture, bacon, potatoes, sausage and cheeses. Juices and coffee are included — and the made-to-order omelets (Chelsey’s Eggs, again, and filled with anything you like) are cooked as you like, and mine had the firm, classic eggy texture that so few restaurants manage to deliver.

Of course, you can also skip the buffet and order from a menu that includes a Caprese egg white frittata (tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, $14) or a Kentucky riff on eggs Benedict (country ham, poached egg, buttermilk biscuit and hollandaise, $15) or cinnamon roll French toast ($12).

I suppose it’s bad form to order dessert after French toast, but after lunch or dinner, you might try the apple strudel (a cylinder of crisp phyllo surrounds tender cubes of nicely seasoned apple that’s enriched with vanilla bean and creme anglaise), or better yet, the Seelbach Pie ice cream.

And if it ever crosses your mind to wonder whether Gatsby’s on Fourth is open, remember this: Like the Seelbach itself, the restaurant is open 365 days a year. And if you chance to drop in during the late afternoon, when it closes for a couple of hours to prep for dinner, you won’t go hungry. Food is always available nearby at the Old Seelbach Bar.